3B 2% =IC G% B@ - TownNewsbloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/santafenewmexican.com/content/...[kp...
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Two sections, 24 pages TV Book, 32 pages 164th year, No. 82 Publication No. 596-440 Editor: Rob Dean, 986-3033, [email protected] Design and headlines: Carlos A. López, [email protected] Main office: 983-3303 Late paper: 986-3010 Calendar A-2 Classifieds B-7 Comics B-12 Lotteries A-2 Opinions A-11 Police notes A-10 Sports B-1 Time Out B-11 Life & Science A-9 Index Lady Horsemen advance to invite final after starter swap Sports, B-1 Locally owned and independent Saturday, March 23, 2013 Pasa pick New Mexico Dance Coalition 26th annual Choreographers’ Showcase, 7:30 p.m., doors open at 7 p.m., companies include New Mexico School for the Arts, Pomegranate Studios, Dance Space Santa Fe and Four Winds Belly Dance, Railyard Performance Space, 1611 Paseo de Peralta, $10-$15 sliding scale, ages 12 and under $5, 920-0554. More events in Calendar, Page A-2 and Fridays in Pasatiempo Today Partly cloudy, windy, cooler. High 45, low 17. PAGE A-12 Obituaries Lawrence Carrillo, 40, Santa Fe, March 17 Consuelo Gomez, 84, Albuquerque, March 16 Jose Fortino Martinez, 99, Santa Fe, March 22 Robert Wertheim, 80, March 13 John Ed Wheeless, 64, Santa Fe, March 18 PAGE A-10 Monument in the making Evidence snafu stalls ‘spice’ trafficking probe A package of synthetic cannabinoids sold under the label K2. The state forensic lab will begin testing simi- lar synthetic cannabinoids seized last summer from a smoke shop on Cerrillos Road. ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO Requests for case information reveal handling errors by police By Julie Ann Grimm The New Mexican A Santa Fe police investigation into suspected trafficking of synthetic marijuana has been delayed for about nine months by an evidence oversight. For several months, a police department spokesman blamed the state crime lab for delaying prosecution of the case. However, The New Mexican has discovered that city officers actually failed to send the lab the packages of substances suspected of being “spice” — chemically treated herbs intended to mimic the effects of marijuana. Last summer, city police raided a smoke shop on Cerrillos Road and told journalists they had seized more than 1,300 packages of what they believed were synthetic cannabinoids, which had been banned by state law. The bust was the first of its kind in Santa Fe. But no charges were ever filed in the case. When The New Mexican asked about the case last fall, Police Capt. Aric Wheeler said the department was waiting for test results. In February, he again said officers had not yet received test results from the state lab. But that was a surprise to Noreen Purcell, director of the state Department of Public Please see SNAFU, Page A-5 Shooting stirs horse slaughter debate Video sparks outrage among activist groups By Jeri Clausing The Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE — An Internet video that shows a meat company employee swearing at animal activists before shooting a horse in the head highlights the increasing emotional intensity of the national debate over whether a New Mexico plant should be allowed to resume domestic horse slaughter. Animal rights groups this week uncovered a video posted by a former employee of Valley Meat Co., which has been fighting the United States Department of Agriculture for more than a year for approval to convert its former cattle slaughter operation into a horse slaughterhouse. Valley Meat Co. owner Rick De Los Santos said the employee, who was let go this week, was reacting New Mexican staff and wire reports T he Santa Fe Municipal Air- port remains on a list of avia- tion facilities that will lose federally funded air-traffic controllers next month. The Federal Aviation Administra- tion on Friday released the names of airports slated for tower closures. In addition to Santa Fe, the Double Eagle airport in Albuquerque is among 149 affected airports. “We believe the airlines will con- tinue to fly in,” said Santa Fe Mayor David Coss. “Some of the air-traffic management can be done out of Albuquerque, but for our airport, we are just going to have to be on a heightened state of alert while we don’t have that service.” The planned shutdown of up to 238 air-traffic control towers across the country under federal budget cuts will strip away an extra layer of safety during takeoffs and landings, leaving pilots to manage the most critical stages of flight on their own. The towers slated to close are at smaller airports with lighter traffic, and all pilots are trained to land with- out help by communicating among themselves on a common radio frequency. In Santa Fe, the tower is currently only open between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. Until just a few years ago, Santa Fe’s control tower had a visual flight control plan, which meant air- traffic controllers used binoculars and radios to guide planes to safe landings. A federal grant paid for a radar system in 2011. When the tower is closed, pilots communicate with one another via radio and rely pri- marily on visual cues. But airport directors and pilots say there is little doubt the removal of that second pair of eyes on the ground increases risk and will slow the progress that has made the U.S. air system the safest in the world. It’s not just private pilots in small Santa Fe Municipal Airport at risk of losing air-traffic controllers on heels of federal budget cuts The Federal Aviation Administration announced Friday that the Santa Fe Municipal Airport is among 149 airports around the country set to lose funding for their air-traffic control towers because of federal budget cuts. In addition to Santa Fe, the Double Eagle airport in Albuquerque is among the affected airports. LUIS SÁNCHEZ SATURNO/THE NEW MEXICAN Tower in jeopardy Please see TOWER, Page A-4 Please see HORSE, Page A-5 Rio Grande del Norte site in Taos may bring economic boost to New Mexico By Tom Sharpe The New Mexican Designating a new national monument on 240,000 acres in Taos County could mean an economic boost for Northern New Mexico. The Rio Grande del Norte National Monument is estimated to mean $15 million in new annual revenues and nearly 300 new jobs. “The designation guarantees that we can all continue to share in this place and has the added benefits of job creation and increased economic activity,” said Taos County Chamber of Commerce Chairman Brad Malone, owner of La Posada de Taos. John Bailey, assistant field manager for recreation in the U.S. Bureau of Land Management office in Taos, said the new jobs are likely to be in the private tourism sector, since Nearly 240,000 acres west of the Rio Grande Gorge will be set aside as the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument when President Barack Obama signs a declara- tion Monday creating five new monu- ments across the country. ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO Please see MONUMENT, Page A-4 ch 23, 2013 w 75¢
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Two sections, 24 pagesTV Book, 32 pages164th year, No. 82Publication No. 596-440Editor: Rob Dean, 986-3033, [email protected] Design and headlines: Carlos A. López, [email protected] Main office: 983-3303 Late paper: 986-3010
Calendar A-2 Classifieds B-7 Comics B-12 Lotteries A-2 Opinions A-11 Police notes A-10 Sports B-1 Time Out B-11 Life & Science A-9Index
Lady Horsemen advance to invite final after starter swap Sports, B-1
Locally owned and independent saturday, March 23, 2013
PasapickNew MexicoDance Coalition26th annual Choreographers’Showcase, 7:30 p.m., doorsopen at 7 p.m., companiesinclude New Mexico School forthe Arts, Pomegranate Studios,Dance Space Santa Fe and FourWinds Belly Dance, RailyardPerformance Space, 1611 Paseode Peralta, $10-$15 sliding scale,ages 12 and under $5, 920-0554.More events in Calendar,Page A-2 and Fridays inPasatiempo
TodayPartly cloudy,windy, cooler.High 45, low 17.PAge A-12
ObituariesLawrence Carrillo, 40,Santa Fe, March 17Consuelo Gomez, 84,Albuquerque, March 16Jose Fortino Martinez, 99,Santa Fe, March 22Robert Wertheim, 80, March 13John Ed Wheeless, 64,Santa Fe, March 18
PAge A-10
Monument in the making
Evidence snafu stalls ‘spice’ trafficking probe
A package of synthetic cannabinoids sold under thelabel K2. The state forensic lab will begin testing simi-lar synthetic cannabinoids seized last summer from asmoke shop on Cerrillos Road. ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO
Requests for case informationreveal handling errors by policeBy Julie Ann GrimmThe New Mexican
A Santa Fe police investigation intosuspected trafficking of synthetic marijuanahas been delayed for about nine months by anevidence oversight.
For several months, a police departmentspokesman blamed the state crime lab fordelaying prosecution of the case. However,The New Mexican has discovered that cityofficers actually failed to send the lab thepackages of substances suspected of being“spice” — chemically treated herbs intended
to mimic the effects of marijuana.Last summer, city police raided a smoke
shop on Cerrillos Road and told journaliststhey had seized more than 1,300 packagesof what they believed were syntheticcannabinoids, which had been banned by statelaw. The bust was the first of its kind in SantaFe.
But no charges were ever filed in the case.When The New Mexican asked about the
case last fall, Police Capt. Aric Wheeler saidthe department was waiting for test results.In February, he again said officers had not yetreceived test results from the state lab.
But that was a surprise to Noreen Purcell,director of the state Department of Public
Please see SNAFU, Page A-5
shootingstirs horseslaughterdebateVideo sparks outrageamong activist groupsBy Jeri ClausingThe Associated Press
ALBUQUERQUE — An Internetvideo that shows a meat companyemployee swearing at animalactivists before shooting a horse inthe head highlights the increasingemotional intensity of the nationaldebate over whether a New Mexicoplant should be allowed to resumedomestic horse slaughter.
Animal rights groups this weekuncovered a video posted by aformer employee of Valley MeatCo., which has been fighting theUnited States Department ofAgriculture for more than a year forapproval to convert its former cattleslaughter operation into a horseslaughterhouse.
Valley Meat Co. owner Rick DeLos Santos said the employee, whowas let go this week, was reacting
New Mexican staff and wire reports
The Santa Fe Municipal Air-port remains on a list of avia-tion facilities that will losefederally funded air-traffic
controllers next month.The Federal Aviation Administra-
tion on Friday released the namesof airports slated for tower closures.In addition to Santa Fe, the DoubleEagle airport in Albuquerque isamong 149 affected airports.
“We believe the airlines will con-
tinue to fly in,” said Santa Fe MayorDavid Coss. “Some of the air-trafficmanagement can be done out ofAlbuquerque, but for our airport,we are just going to have to be on aheightened state of alert while wedon’t have that service.”
The planned shutdown of up to238 air-traffic control towers acrossthe country under federal budgetcuts will strip away an extra layer ofsafety during takeoffs and landings,leaving pilots to manage the most
critical stages of flight on their own.The towers slated to close are at
smaller airports with lighter traffic,and all pilots are trained to land with-out help by communicating amongthemselves on a common radiofrequency. In Santa Fe, the tower iscurrently only open between 7 a.m.and 9 p.m. Until just a few years ago,Santa Fe’s control tower had a visualflight control plan, which meant air-traffic controllers used binocularsand radios to guide planes to safe
landings. A federal grant paid for aradar system in 2011. When the toweris closed, pilots communicate withone another via radio and rely pri-marily on visual cues.
But airport directors and pilotssay there is little doubt the removalof that second pair of eyes on theground increases risk and will slowthe progress that has made the U.S.air system the safest in the world.
It’s not just private pilots in small
Santa Fe Municipal Airport atrisk of losing air-traffic controllerson heels of federal budget cuts
The Federal Aviation Administration announced Friday that the Santa Fe Municipal Airport is among 149 airports around the country set to losefunding for their air-traffic control towers because of federal budget cuts. In addition to Santa Fe, the Double Eagle airport in Albuquerque isamong the affected airports. LUIS SÁNCHEZ SATURNO/THE NEW MEXICAN
Tower in jeopardy
Please see TOWeR, Page A-4
Please see HORSe, Page A-5
Rio Grande del Norte site in Taos maybring economic boost to New MexicoBy Tom SharpeThe New Mexican
Designating a new national monument on 240,000acres in Taos County could mean an economic boost forNorthern New Mexico. The Rio Grande del Norte NationalMonument is estimated to mean $15 million in new annual
revenues and nearly 300 new jobs.“The designation guarantees that we can all continue
to share in this place and has the added benefits of jobcreation and increased economic activity,” said TaosCounty Chamber of Commerce Chairman Brad Malone,owner of La Posada de Taos.
John Bailey, assistant field manager for recreation in theU.S. Bureau of Land Management office in Taos, said thenew jobs are likely to be in the private tourism sector, since
Nearly 240,000acres west ofthe Rio GrandeGorge will beset aside as theRio Grande delNorte NationalMonumentwhen PresidentBarack Obamasigns a declara-tion Mondaycreating fivenew monu-ments acrossthe country.
ASSOCIATED PRESSFILE PHOTO Please see MONUMeNT, Page A-4
Lady Horsemen advance to invite final after starter swap
saturday, March 23, 2013 www.santafenewmexican.com75¢
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